STACKED

books

Bandette by Paul Tobin and Colleen Coover

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I was craving a good heist story and was recommended the comic book series Bandette by Paul Tobin and Colleen Coover. It’s a creator-owned comic published by MonkeyBrain, and the first trade is out now. It features the world’s greatest thief, a teenage girl named Bandette, who steals from the bad people to give to the good people (while keeping a little back for herself). She’s also often called upon by the local police to assist with solving various crimes, though not even the police know her real identity. She’s like Batman if Batman also stole things and didn’t have all that angst over his dead parents.

Bandette herself is supremely confident (she proclaims she is the best thief, and does so without shame for believing it), but she also delights in finding a rival who is worthy of her. She flirts with her friend Daniel, who in turn goes starry-eyed over her. She’s always hanging upside down, grinning hugely while encouraging her friends to get in trouble with her. She loves being a thief and she does it because it’s fun for her, and because she’s good at it – and isn’t that what we all want out of our careers?

The first volume collects issues 1-5 and mainly deals with Bandette and her urchins (sidekicks) going after a crime syndicate as a favor to the local police. The crime syndicate is also going after her, having decided she’s been a thorn in their side for too long. She teams up with her biggest rival, simply named Monsieur, who has himself been recruited by a mysterious woman to steal from the aforementioned crime syndicate. Each issue builds upon the prior one, though there’s a handy recap at the beginning of each, and the story never really becomes all that complex (which is part of its charm).

The book is fun and whimsical and doesn’t take itself very seriously. One of Bandette’s main weapons is a bottle simply labeled “Knockout Spray.” No need to think too hard on it. The evil organization has the acronym FINIS and its principal villain is named Absinthe. Bandette’s main sidekick rides a motorbike called Rad Thai. Her library has one bookshelf for “First Editions: Purchased” and one for “First Editions: Liberated.” There’s subtle humor like this on practically every page, both in the dialogue and the art. The art is blessedly free of scantily-clad women and is a bit simpler and more painterly than traditional comic book art. It fits the mood of the story well – light-hearted and fun.

Long-time readers of this blog may know that I have a weakness for heist stories. I want an all-female Ocean’s 11 sort of book so badly. (Ally Carter’s Heist Society books probably come closest.) Bandette helps to satisfy this itch. It encapsulates so much of what I enjoy about heist stories: how clever the capers are, that the thieves are the good guys and they always win, the overall theme of sticking it to the man and getting rich at the same time, all the witty banter, the friendship between the thieves. It’s all good fun. This particular title is perfectly suitable for a YA audience and it’s a welcome addition to the growing collection of female-led books.

Personal copy.

Graphic Novel Roundup

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El Deafo by Cece Bell
I don’t read a lot of nonfiction, but I do have a weakness for graphic memoirs. This one is superb – perfect for middle grade readers, with vibrant cartoon-like art (that reminds me a little of the Arthur cartoons) and a winning story. It’s a great read for deaf and hearing readers alike, giving mirrors to the former and windows to the latter. Even aside from that aspect of the book, it’s just a great story about growing up, about the vagaries of childhood friendships (I think we have each had or been a Laura, a Ginny, or a Martha) and the challenges we all face as we navigate adolescence. The way the story is presented is what elevates the book above some other memoirs. The representation of the kids as long-eared rabbits is a genius idea, and Cece’s imagination of herself as a superhero looking for a sidekick is such a great parallel to the real challenges she faces. What kid hasn’t dreamed up something like this?

The Red Shoes and Other Tales by Metaphrog
This is a really slim collection of three stories by Metaphrog, two of them retellings of Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales and one original. The titular story involves a girl named Karen who is given some very fancy red shoes and finds herself unable to stop dancing while wearing them. The other Andersen tale is The Little Match Girl, and the original story is called The Glass Case, which has a similar feel to the others (un-Disneyfied and somewhat gruesome, depressing, or both). I love the rich colors on the cover, but I found the art to be mostly uninspired. Faces aren’t terribly expressive (they’re either neutral or shocked) and the colors are much more muted on the inside. (To be fair, this was a review copy; it’s possible the look will change in the final version.) The re-tellings themselves are simply done, like the original fairy tales but lacking the depth I find simple language often gives. I’m always eager for fairy tale interpretations, but this one fell short.

This One Summer by Mariko and Jillian Tamaki
I have some prejudices when it comes to graphic novels, the biggest of which is I don’t really care for black and white art. This One Summer isn’t precisely black and white (it has a purplish/bluish tinge to it), but it basically is, and that’s the main reason I passed it by when it was first published. (I pretty much read every single full-color graphic novel First Second produces.) And then it won a Caldecott Honor and a Printz Honor, so I re-evaluated. The art really is very good. With black and white art, I always have to force myself to stop and peruse it rather than breezing by it, taking it in simply as a part of the story. Some of the spreads are even quite lovely, though I’d say Jillian Tamaki’s style is more interesting than beautiful. Her characters are expressive and diverse, and her backdrops are wonderfully detailed.

Books borrowed from my local library, except for The Red Shoes, which was provided by the publisher.

Princess Decompsia and Count Spatula by Andi Watson + A Special Bonus Comic!

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I never quite realized how much I enjoy a graphic novel where food plays a central part in the story.

Or maybe I did — I love Sara Varon’s Bake Sale and Lucy Knisley’s Relish and I dug Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Seconds — and I never quite put all of the pieces together that stories revolving around food or cooking done in a visual format tick all of my boxes.

Although Andi Watson’s latest Princess Decomposia and Count Spatula won’t go down on my all-time favorites list, this is a weirdly charming and enjoyable read, perfect for middle grade readers through adults. “Weirdly charming” is a compliment, not a criticism.

Princess Decomposia is a busy and overworked princess of the underworld. She’s constantly being called on to take care of tasks, as her father, the king, is weak and ill. He’s not just weak and ill; he’s also particular and picky. When he decides it’s time to fire the chef, he puts it upon Princess Decomposia to hire a replacement. And, of course, this replacement has to be good. Or at least, the replacement has to be good enough to make Qwik Soup, which is the meals served to the king each day. He’s a health nut, following the latest fads, but he doesn’t seem to eat anything except that soup.

That is clue number one something is strange about this guy.

After a round of interviews and taste tests, Princess Decomposia hires Count Spatula to be the kingdom’s chef. He’s well versed in all manner of cooking, though he has a fondness and particular strength for baking sweets. That makes perfect sense for a vampire, of course. Where he hopes he showcase his talents, he’s met with resistance from Clove, one of the assistants; she tells him regularly that he doesn’t need to be doing more than making soup since the king doesn’t want anything more than that. Count Spatula doesn’t listen, though, and instead, he continues to tinker with ideas in the kitchen. He’s even brought out his special baking talents at important dinners.

This isn’t a story about his cooking, though. This is instead a story about the relationship that develops between Count Spatula and Princess Decomposia. She’s extremely overworked and over-pressured, and as he watches her stress out and take on more than her fair share, Count Spatula begins to wonder why she’s working so hard. What’s in it for her? More, as he watches the closeness of Clove and her family — depicted in extremely sweet images — Count begins to pry into Princess Decomposia’s life. Is she happy? Why does she feel like she has to take on all of this work, especially as her father isn’t keeping a close eye on her? As the princess and count grow closer, she begins to see the value in taking time for herself and exploring the passions she has.

In fact, she may even try to do something on her very own for herself and no one else. Perhaps she’ll even do a little delegation of responsibility.

It’s not going to be that easy though, and that’s because the king isn’t as sick as he’s making himself out to be. When he gets a whiff of what his daughter is talking about with Count Spatula and when he begins to suspect that things aren’t being done according to his orders, suddenly, there’s a very different king around. One who isn’t sick. One who wants to bring his daughter back under his total and complete control.

Princess Decomposia and Count Spatula does contain romance, and it’s done in a sweet way. I did stop and pause for a moment at the end of the book, wondering what the ages of these characters were, despite the fact they’re not rendered as humans. Decomposia feels very young, while Count Spatula feels much older — he is a chef, after all. But in the end, this budding romance didn’t run into any ick factors at all and since this is a graphic novel perfectly appropriate for younger readers, it’ll feel like a nice payoff, rather than a plot element shoe horned in to give the book more strength. There’s enough relationship development as is, and the romance itself doesn’t become apparent for a long time. Instead, it’s a sweet connection that circles the themes of growing up and understanding what independence and choice really are. There’s also a thought-provoking and rarely-explored look at the importance of not taking on too much work and using delegation skills to manage your time and energy. I can’t name a graphic novel that’s done that before nor done it in a way that doesn’t feel over-the-top or overwhelming. It’s not didactic at all. Parents don’t always know best, and Watson scratches at that topic while offering a why — however good it is — behind the king’s behavior and actions.

It’s the descriptions and depictions of food in this graphic novel that were the most enjoyable for me. The sweets are rendered as things bigger than what they are — the mud cake is depicted as a Mud Monster Cake, and Princess and her dinner guests have to “attack” it to enjoy. These creations are fun and silly, which enhances the story’s charm. The storytelling outshines the illustrations for me in this book, except in the food department. That’s where Watson’s creativity shines, with the story and the illustrations marrying together nicely.

Pass along Princess Decomposia and Count Spatula to readers who like off-beat stories, brimming with fun, eccentric characters. This is a very British comic, so be prepared to encounter some less-familiar food and language choices. Readers who have been charmed by Sara Varon’s work in the past will find this to be a good next read.

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As part of the blog tour for Andi Watson’s Princess Decomposia and Count Spatula, he created a series of brand-new, never-before-shared illustrations. We’re really excited to share this one, which is perfectly representative of the strengths of this graphic novel. You can see exactly what I mean by the creative spin on dessert creation and how these foods come alive on the page and in the story. (I won’t lie — the hipster joke is my favorite part). 
Enjoy! Make sure you check out all of the stops for this tour to see even more of Watson’s delicious comics. 

Getting Started with Comics: Guest Post from Becca and Allison of This Week in Ladies

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We’re super excited about the guest post we have to share today. Becca and Allison are two librarians who Kimberly and I went to the University of Texas iSchool with back in the day, and they’re the voices and brains behind the awesome “This Week in Ladies” podcast, which is all about women in pop culture. They asked if we’d be interested in a guest post about getting teens — and new readers who aren’t quite teens anymore — started with reading comics. 

Of course we are! 

If you’re looking to get started or want to help other readers kick off a comics reading spree, this is the post for you. 
Becca and Allison, the team behind the podcast This Week in Ladies,
are a couple of punk ass book jockeys who live in Austin, Texas. They
spend their time eating queso, haunting their local comic book shop, and
getting way too invested in pub trivia.
So you think you’d like to try comics, but it seems like… a lot. We get it. The entry barrier to comics can be really high, especially if you’re reading about characters who’ve been around fifty or more years. Figuring out what to read, and in what order, can be really complicated.

We were in the same place two years ago. After Marvel’s The Avengers came out, though, we had Avenger fever and dove into the world of comics, slowly figuring out how to parse this format and this industry. Two years ago, neither of us knew what a pull list was, and now we haunt our local comic shop every week.

So we’ve compiled a list of recommended comics for you, divided into two categories: Marvel All In, and Badass Ladies. (Sorry, DC.) Our Marvel recommendations will help you dive in further if you like the movies, the TV show, or People’s Sexiest Man Alive. Badass Ladies recs are for people who need more badass ladies in their lives. Which is all of us.

Want to read some of these? Most have been compiled into trades (that’s when a few, usually six, monthly issues get put into a softcover book together), which you can purchase from your local comic book shop, or borrow from your local library.

And, if this leads you down the rabbit hole, you can always check out our podcast, This Week in Ladies. Every (other) week, we talk comics, books, and pop culture in general from a feminist perspective.

Marvel All In

Young Avengers
Writer: Kieron Gillen, Artist: Jamie McKelvie
The Young Avengers, who first appeared in 2005, were created by Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung. They are a ragtag group of teen heroes modeled on the original flavor Avengers (Kate “Hawkeye” Bishop, for example, shoots arrows, wears purple and has no superpowers), who step up to fill the superhero void created by the Avengers: Disassembled storyline. Though the 2013 series occurs in the same continuity, you can still jump in here without being lost. Gillen’s snappy dialogue, filled with slang and pop culture references that feel totally natural, combined with McKelvie’s clean, cool art and Matthew Wilson’s vibrant coloring, creates a series that feels young, fresh and fun, but not frivolous. World-saving is still serious business, after all, even for teens.

Runaways
Vol. 1 [Wikipedia’s your best bet to follow the progression of this one]
Writer: Brian K. Vaughan (also written by Terry Moore and some guy you’ve probably never heard of named Joss Whedon), Illustrator: Various
The Runaways are a ragtag group of superpowered teens whose parents are part of an evil organization called the Pride. Wanting nothing to do with their parents’ bad guy ways, the teens run away together, and adventure ensues. While this storyline is situated in the same Marvel universe as those involving the major heroes (the Runaways, for example, encounter the Young Avengers during the events of Civil War), you don’t need any knowledge of that world at all to enjoy Runaways. In fact, this book will introduce you to a lot of the Marvel characters and mythology in a really accessible way. Still not sold? One of the Runaways has a dinosaur sidekick named Old Lace. (Sub-rec: anything ever written by Brian K. Vaughan)

Guardians of the Galaxy
Vol. 1 (and ongoing)
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis, Artists: Steve McNiven, Sara Pichelli
Chances are you’ve heard of the Guardians, as they did star in the second-highest grossing movie of the year. You probably already know they’re a ragtag group of space bandits who’ve taken it upon themselves to, well, guard the galaxy. While I’m not sure I’d say the book is better than the movie, it’s definitely funnier. It also has four fully-realized, interesting characters with back stories and relatable motivation, while the movie maxed out at two (Drax, unfortunately, is still lacking). The Guardians are a bit grittier than the Avengers, and more likely to justify questionable means with righteous ends, of which they are well aware, making this a little more thoughtful than your standard space action/adventure/comedy.

She-Hulk
Writer: Charles Soule, Artist: Javier Pulido
Soule’s She-Hulk has a lot in common with Matt Fraction’s Hawkeye, including art by Pulido. Like Hawkeye, She-Hulk is about what Jennifer Walters does when she’s not with the Avengers, which is practice law. After falling out with her law firm, Walters strikes out on her own, focusing on cases that involve the superhero community. She works with a ragtag group of fellow badass ladies–landlord and former mutant Sharon, investigator and costumed crusader Patsy, and paralegal-with-a-past Angie. With this cast of characters, Soule soundly answers that age-old and infuriating question: Can authors write believable characters of the opposite sex? If you’re looking for a book in which Walters Hulks out a lot, this one isn’t for you. If you’re looking for a book about a mature, adult woman who’s good at her job and has healthy relationships with friends and colleagues, give it a go.

Captain Marvel

Writer: Kelly Sue DeConnick, Artists: Dexter Soy, Emma Rios, Filipe Andrade, David Lopez
For starters: July 6, 2018. Carol Danvers, originally created as overtly feminist superhero Ms. Marvel in the 1970s, comes into her own in her new solo title, which debuted in 2012. The former Air Force pilot leads a ragtag team of veterans, nerds, and little girls as they battle evil forces at home and across the galaxy. Carol is smart, fearless, caring, and prefers punching to talking. Her best friend, Spider-Woman, shows up for a few issues, too. DeConnick pairs with a few illustrators over the series, and each one brings something different to Carol (though her hair is always crazy). Read this to see why the Carol Corps is the most dedicated fanbase of any Marvel character.

Ms. Marvel

Vol. 1 (and ongoing)
Writer: G. Willow Wilson, Artist: Adrian Alphona
A ragtag group of good students in New Jersey battle supervillains, alligators in the sewer, and strict parents. The new Ms. Marvel is Kamala Khan, a Pakistani-American Muslim teenager living in Jersey City who LOVES superheroes (some of her fanfiction has received A LOT of hits, thank you very much). Now that Carol Danvers has traded in for her new name, Marvel created a brand new character to take over the old moniker (inspired by Marvel editor Sana Amanat’s teen years). Kamala’s faith and culture absolutely inform her character and her storylines, but she’s a whole person, not just a caricature or an afterschool special about diversity — she’s funny, earnest, and deeply weird.


Avengers Assemble

Writer: Kelly Sue DeConnick, Artist: Stefano Caselli
Avengers Assemble is the comic Marvel debuted to draw in fans of the movies, so it features a ragtag team you may have seen a blockbuster summer film about. During Kelly Sue DeConnick’s run, the comic featured a variety of teamups, including a number of Avengers introducing teenager Spider-Girl to the realities of superhero life and Iron Man and the Hulk making a competition out of rescuing a scientist friend who’s been captured by villains (loser walks through downtown Manhattan naked). Caselli’s crisp, bright, clean-lined art is the perfect complement to this story, which, even though it’s about superheroes, is among the most real things we read. Funny, but always with a fantastic heart.

New Avengers

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis, Artists: Various
Starting in 2005, New Avengers featured a ragtag crew of every Avenger you’ve ever heard of (and a bunch you haven’t). The storyline came out of the aftermath of the Avengers disbanding after failing to stop the Scarlet Witch (read up on this before Avengers: Age of Ultron comes out!). Over the five years Bendis wrote it, they tackled the Civil War (to be featured in Captain America 3), the rise and fall of intelligence agencies (and how to navigate allegiance to those agencies), seeing old friends go evil, and how to be married and a superhero at the same time. This is your sweeping epic melodrama. (New Avengers is the most sprawling thing we’re recommending here, and honestly, the Wikipedia page is probably your best guide to the trades.)

Badass Ladies

Lumberjanes

Vol. 1 (and ongoing)
Writers: Noelle Stevenson & Grace Ellis, Artist: Brooke Allen
Did you like the “Pawnee Rangers” episode of Parks & Recreation? Do you wish it had more magic? Then oh my bell hooks, is Lumberjanes the comic for you. Featuring a ragtag group of campers at a summer camp with some seriously mysterious happenings, Lumberjanes is funny, silly, and deeply weird. Our campers battle werewolves, gods, controlling counselors, and hypnotized boy campers, earning a lot of great badges along the way.

Rat Queens

Vol. 1 (and ongoing)
Writer: Kurtis J. Wiebe, Artist: Roc Upchurch
I like to think of the Rat Queens as the Lumberjanes after they grow up and discover sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll. As you might imagine, then, this one has more mature content than the rest of the titles on our list. On its face, Rat Queens is a fantasy book about a ragtag group of marauders–sorceress Hannah, warrior Violet, healer Dee, and thief Betty. But, it’s really about found family, gender and sexuality, growing up and kicking ass. Oh, and it’s hilariously funny.

Fray

Writer: Joss Whedon, Artist: Karl Moline
Fray is about a ragtag group of…well, actually, Melaka Fray is kind of a loner. Unlike her predecessor Buffy Summers, she doesn’t have a Scooby Gang. Or a Watcher. Fray takes place well into the flying car-future. There hasn’t been a Slayer in two hundred years and nobody even knows what vampires are, so no previous knowledge of Buffy the Vampire Slayer is required to enjoy this book (unlike this review). The book’s got a lot of Whedon hallmarks–Badass lady? Check. Quick-paced dialogue heavy on the fictional slang? Check. Death of a beloved character? CHECK. The art is both colorful and gritty, perfectly capturing the atmosphere of Fray’s dystopian future.

Batgirl Beyond

Writer: Scott Peterson, Artist: Annie Wu
OK, DC, you get this one. The Batman Beyond universe is set in a future where Bruce Wayne is a bitter old man and Neo-Gotham is once again the lawless place of his youth. High schooler Terry McGinnis is the new Batman, and former Batgirl Barbara Gordon has succeeded her father as police commissioner. In Batgirl Beyond — tragically, a single issue, and not an epic that went on forever — Barbara Gordon meets a new young (woman of color!) Batgirl on the rough side of town, and together they take on a evil business dude. Annie Wu designed the costume, and designed it to look like it was created by the character, making it unlike a lot of other female superhero costumes. This Batgirl is funny and cocky and it’s a damn shame we never got to see more of her.

In Real Life by Cory Doctorow and Jen Wang + 3 Questions with Cory

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Cory Doctorow is known for exploring big social issues within his fiction for young adults, and his latest, the YA graphic novel In Real Life, is no different.

When Anda’s class has a female gamer come in and speak to them, Anda becomes fascinated with the idea of playing the game about which the guest spoke: Coarsegold Online. It’s a massive multiplayer roleplaying game, and it’s an opportunity for her to be a hero and it’s a place where she gets the opportunity to meet new people and make friends from around the world.

Gold farmers are exceptionally controversial in the game, as they are people who illegally collect valuable objects within the game, then sell them off to players in rich countries who can afford to purchase them. This, of course, gives those who are rich a mega advantage at the game. It’s an industry and an occupation, gold farming, but things get challenging when Anda befriends a gold farmer, who happens to be a poor boy from China. Suddenly, what seemed like a black-and-white/right-or-wrong situation with gold farming becomes a lot more complicated, as her friend’s life depends upon making money doing this job.

Doctorow’s story is complex and complicated, and while I think his introduction does a great job of offering an explanation for why what happens in the story isn’t just about the in-game world, I found myself needing to flip back more than once to better understand what was happening and what the gravity of the situation was. Part of this is being a non-gamer — and perhaps I’d have grasped some of these things better were this a world in which I was familiar — but part of it was that at times, the message overpowered the story and the development of Anda.

The story, being about how people buy and sell levels and powers in-world and how others want to rid the game world of the people who are in the business of helping others cheat for the right price, parallels the non-gaming world in terms of how people climb the ladder and how they can cheat social systems and structures in place for the right price. But beneath that, and what I think was harder to come across because of the graphic novel format, are the really human reasons and aspects behind why someone would want to work a job that’s purpose is to buck the system for others. We’re only ever privy to Anda’s perspective here, and, as noted, it’s one of privilege. That’s not a problem of her telling the story, but it’s a bigger problem of the overall impact of the story. She almost grew too quickly, and because of the privilege she has in her own life, she was able to pursue solutions that carried the story’s message almost too conveniently. There were other things that happened in the story that felt convenient or almost strange and difficult to believe, including small things like a gaming expert coming into a high school classroom and recruiting teens for her game, which includes a monthly fee.

That said, I still liked In Real Life, and a big reason for liking it was how wonderful Jen Wang’s art is throughout. This is a lushly illustrated work, and I give Wang major kudos for how Anda was rendered. This is a fat girl, and she was never once ashamed of being so. Her body is depicted realistically, and I can see so many girls seeing themselves in her. While there was one part of the story that made me cringe when it came to the dialog of body shaming, it was easy enough to let go because of how Anda carried herself. In many ways, that slip fit the bigger issues of this book being imperfect about how it depicted and explored social and political issues in the real, rather than virtual, world. This is a full-color graphic novel with an appealing color palate. I’m going to keep an eye on Wang because I hope to see a lot more from her.

In Real Life should appeal to teen graphic novel enthusiasts, and I especially think teen gamers will find a lot to enjoy here — and I think maybe more importantly, they’ll find a lot worth talking about and debating. This could make for a really solid book discussion title. This is a time-relevant title, but it doesn’t run the risk of becoming the kind of book that will become time-sensitive. What Doctorow did in Little Brother for the last generation of teens, he does here with In Real Life, serving up a meaty topic in a form that doesn’t talk down to its readers but encourages them to think, discuss, and act. This would be a great book to pair with Steve Brezenoff’s Guy In Real Life, which also delves into social issues through gaming — both virtual and real-world.

**

In addition to talking about the book today, I was able to ask Cory a few questions about the book and some of the bigger issues broached in the story. Rather than talk about these within the review, I thought taking them straight to the source would be more interesting. I highly recommend checking out the other blogs who are taking part in asking Doctorow questions about In Real Life, and you can get the full list of other participants here. These might make discussing this book with teens even more interesting! 


What capacity do you believe gaming has for educating people about social/political challenges throughout the world? 

I think that games are
an art form, and that art does lots of stuff, including education. But
the primary thing that art does is make you feel irreducible, numinous
aesthetic effects.

Some games, like some art, can teach you just about anything, but that’s not what games are for.
It would be impossible to ignore the hostility that the gaming world has toward women. Yet, gaming has the capacity to be a tool of social mobility and change. How can girls and women navigate this disconnect? 
I wish I knew. My wife
is a retired professional gamer — she played Quake for England — and
through her I know a huge circle of hardcore, badass gamers and gaming
professionals.

Gender-based hatred
and harrassment in games is an epiphenomenon of wider social factors,
obviously. It’s not like women get a great deal everywhere *except*
games — and while ending games-based harassment
(by making it socially unacceptable to admit or evince misogyny as it
is in many other circles) would be a huge accomplishment, it would still
leave the underlying problem intact.
Your books, including IN REAL LIFE, focus on teens making a difference. Why teens? What is it about teenagers that you believe will cause social and political change? 
I
think we start out with well-developed senses of justice and fairness
— you see it in daycare classes — but circumstances cause us to
compromise a little
at a time. Each compromise resets your vision of a “normal” level of
fairness, so the next compromise is only perceived as a small variance
on normal, as opposed to a deeper cut into justice.

Teenagers exist at the intersection of
uncompromising justice and the capacity to act on it — old enough to do
stuff, young enough not to be convinced that nothing can be done.